The United Kingdom Independence Party

The UKIP insurgency

MY COLUMN this week is about UKIP, the British political party campaigning for withdrawal from the EU.

ANGRY insurgents rarely prosper in British politics. Two big things help explain this: voting rules and sniggering. Britain's first-past-the-post voting system is rather brutal to small parties. And if electoral rules do not snare a would-be demagogue then mocking laughter probably will. It is a brave politician who stands before British voters, face red and voice shaking with fury. There is always the risk that at some climactic moment a heckler will interrupt, posing a variant on the ancient British question: just who do you think you are?

How, then, to explain the rise of Nigel Farage, leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), an insurgent (and at times quite angry) outfit devoted to Britain's withdrawal from the European Union? Once a near-irrelevance, UKIP haunts the thoughts of politicians across Westminster. The explanation lies in Mr Farage's talent for turning both Britain's voting system and its traditions of pomposity-pricking mockery to his advantage.

UKIP does not need to win a single House of Commons seat at the next general election to have an outsized impact. The party just needs to threaten, credibly, to siphon off enough Conservative votes to deny David Cameron's party victory in a decisive number of seats: a disastrous fate in a first-past-the-post system. In happier times such a menace might unite Conservatives against UKIP. These are not happy times.

Battered by grim economic news and a string of government U-turns, the Conservatives are some ten points behind Labour in the polls. Almost two-thirds of Tory voters say that they would like to leave the EU. On the party's right, the fact that Mr Cameron wants to stay in the union (and argues that an EU referendum is needed only if Britain is asked to hand more powers to Europe) fuels suspicion that he is not a proper Conservative. His decision to go into coalition with the pro-European Liberal Democrats after the 2010 general election fits the same narrative (right-wingers think he should have chanced a second, snap election).

Though UKIP draws some support from the left and boasts a hard core of voters furious at all big parties, recent gains have come disproportionately from Tory ranks. UKIP's current policy platform is a land grab of terrain ceded by Tory modernisers. It includes a five-year freeze on permanent immigration, increased military spending, a return to selective grammar schools, calling global warming “not proven” and ending smoking bans in pubs.

Mr Farage has begun briefing that local Conservative associations have begged him to consider joint Tory-UKIP candidates at the next general election. Recent opinion polls put UKIP within a point or two of the Lib Dems in either direction (though polls traditionally understate Lib Dems' local strengths). UKIP's next goal is to increase its foothold in local councils, he says, building grassroots networks in conscious emulation of the Lib Dems.

Why good cheer can work

If Mr Farage is adept at maximising his clout within the British electoral system, he is—as importantly—good at the derisive bit of politics. He is skilled at supplying disillusioned voters with arguments to sustain their rage. Yet at the same time, his public persona is cheeky and cheerful: he sometimes seems to heckle himself.

At a recent public meeting outside Bristol, in south-west England, Mr Farage played the packed room (Tory-faithful types, ranging from pensioners in blazers to brawny small businessmen) like a virtuoso. Tiny model Spitfire fighters flashing at his shirt-cuffs, Mr Farage told the crowd what it wanted to hear. Britain is run by “college kids”. The dead of two world wars are being betrayed by Westminster politicians “impotent” to defend democracy. Britain has turned its back on its “kith and kin” in the Commonwealth. It is an “outrage” that eastern Europeans can come and claim benefits. “Charity begins at home,” shouted Mr Farage, and the 250-strong crowd roared.

Questions from the floor were darkly angry. Could Britain be trapped into bailing out the euro by some hidden EU mechanism? Was “political Zionism” behind the world's woes?

Mr Farage turned the mood upbeat. He described how his post as a Eurosceptic group leader in the European Parliament had earned him a meeting with Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel (cue chuckles). He had asked if it might be kinder to free Greece and other debtor nations from the euro-zone “prison”. He mimicked Mrs Merkel's solemn reply: that countries leaving the euro would end “the European dream”. The crowd cheered gleefully. He urged the questioner worried about Zionism to beware conspiracy theories: “We must, must, must be optimistic.”

Five counties to the east, such optimism is on display in Ramsey, a Cambridgeshire market town which is home to the only UKIP-controlled council in Britain. Ramsey's UKIP councillors take turns cleaning the public lavatories, clearing dog mess and patrolling local pubs at weekends. Pete Reeve, a UKIP councillor, spent the Diamond Jubilee celebrations dressed as the town's mascot, a furry ram. Yet Mr Reeve (interviewed in his ram suit while wartime melodies such as “We'll Meet Again” boomed from loudspeakers) also explained, earnestly, that Eurocrats were trying to build a European army and an electricity grid controlled in Brussels, so that in a few years Britain might not be able to leave the EU. Immigration is a big issue in Ramsey, he added, citing complaints about local factory jobs reserved for Polish-speakers.

In short, UKIP is trying something ambitious: upbeat protest politics for angry, anti-political voters. Will this achieve Mr Farage's short-term goal of supplanting the Lib Dems as Britain's third party? It may not matter. Mr Farage's real dream is to reshape Britain, by pulling the Conservatives to the right and bouncing Mr Cameron into a referendum on EU membership. If he pulls that off, his insurgency will be no laughing matter.

This is David Rennie being spiteful, UKIP have moved into the ground the Liberal parties used to occupy, which is the plain truth of the matter. Referendums, freedom of choice and the people having self determination, David must be red in the face at such Liberal concepts, be the totalitarian 'ever more €U' person that he is, one can spot the hidden "how dare they" all over this little piece.

Farage is a politician that is able to get his point across without the jargon and spin used by others. This makes him a very good politician in comparison to his peers.

Labour has no idea what they stand for as long as the Unions keep paying, Tories know what they would like to stand fore but lack the leadership, and the Liberal Democrats don't care as long as it includes more '€U' are they have seats in parliament (or government). In the face of this you have UKIP that know what they are and have a well united party.

UKIP has so far shown that it is following the mood of the British public very well. So Mr David Rennie and your red faced €Uro fanatics, a question: just who do you think you are?

Arguably, UKIP's votes at the last General Election deprived the Tories of a majority. As such a majority would have given strength to the Tory right-wing (think John Major's last few years), we centrists can only thank young Nige for his efforts.

Your article, however, makes depressing reading. Are these, mostly right-wing, Little Englanders really so ignorant of voting patterns as to prefer a Labour Party, which would take absolutely no notice of UKIP, to a Tory majority which might have to heed it?

It would be interesting to see UKIP's support analysed by age group. My suspicion is that it comes from those with a past, rather than those with a future.

"How, then, to explain the rise of Nigel Farage, leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), an insurgent (and at times quite angry) outfit devoted to Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union?"

The answer is of course is that UKIP stands up to the EU and the Taliban EUfanatics in Westminster and asks: "Just who do you think you are?"

Enough of the "Little Englander" nonsense, its always the same with the swivel eyed EUfanatics, they insult that which they can't understand.

They can't understand that most people in Britain want to govern themselves and having trading relationships and friendships with people all over the world, they don't want to withdraw into a sullen, inward looking fortress Europe when there are opportunities and friendships aplenty all over the world.

None of this makes sense to the spittle flecked EUfanatics because to them the EU is a matter of faith not facts. Like creationists.

Even though I don't consider myself right-wing, I agree on most of UKIP's main issues. I always felt that the pubs themselves should choose whether to allow smoking, with Governments perhaps charging a levy to those who wish to allow it. That way an equilibrium will form with options for all. The reality of the smoking ban has seen more people drinking at home, community pubs closing, excessive smoke in the air around every pub in the land - and probably no real drop in how much people smoke.

A freeze on immigration is a drastic idea, but what a change it would be compared to the kind of open-door we have faced in the past. Only 3 of the 15 existing EU members allowed unlimited immigration from the 10 newly-added Eastern countries when the EU expanded. British citizens were told that no more than 15,000 people would emigrate from Poland, Lithuania etc when these countries were added, yet the true figure has been at least 500,000. This puts massive strain on infrastructure and essential services such as medicine and childcare (although in fairness their employment record has been impressive).

I personally don't know what he thinks of himself, But I on the other hand think at this moment in time he is the best politician that we have in this country. A true patriotic and unlike the spineless creature that we have in charge today he will stand up and fight for us the British public

"though polls traditionally understate Lib Dems’ local strengths"
The same local strength that will be eviscerated come 2015 at the current rate of hemmorhage according to Lord Oakeshott?
Would love to see them surpassed by UKIP - especially if it meant see the end of the smoking bans. Pubs and Clubs of the 10's smell of a foul cocktail of body odour, urine, and sick which just has to be worse for a healthy body than a bit of tobacco.
Then again, that bit about kith and kin sounds a bit...funny. I can't help but wonder if he's referring to the entire commonwealth.

Nigel Farrago and the Euroseptics. No thats not a misspelling. Opposing Johnny Foreigner and standing up for John Bull. I remember its forerunner, the brainchild of the ailing Sir James. "out!" cough, cough "out" he shouted at Major and his corruption-riddled MPs. And they were. He flew in from Mexico, chequebook in hand. It was a political earthquake. Anyone for a tea party?

I agree, Eurosceptism is a mainstream view these days and most people would like to see "less Europe". I am less sure that they will agree on what replaces it. More immediately worrying to the Conservatives, I suspect, is all the other stuff that UKIP espouses. I think that would irritate more people than it attracts. It harks back to the past and is therefore not seen as serious.

The infrastructure is not there to support the population at is present numbers, one only has to look as the state of the roads to see that. While a 'freeze' may not be the right way forward, greater limitation for a period to allow rebuilding and modernisation is sensible.

On passive-smoking I suggest you see how much you would be smoking if you worked in any of the city centres (and some town centres) in the UK due to pollution levels, which is inescapable without better infrastructure.

The level of pollution output that effects climate change in the UK is low, we would be better off waiting for others to catch up and following a rational plan. Going for wind turbines that helps the leader of the Lib-Dems wife business is not a rationally thought of plan of objectives.

Given that it is the new intake of Tories that are the most against the project, it is the greenwood that is most likely to be lost from the Conservatives... not even Labour is immune:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-15291712

Your point is that he appeals to "patriotism". And patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel, to quote Samuel Johnson. It's very easy to wrap yourself in the national flag to pick up support. It's been done before.
Though he went to Dulwich college, I'm not sure he comes the most distinguished academic or educational background. He ran a brokerage form, apparently. Originatng from the home counties, inevitably, his success has largely been due to his oratory skills. As the likeable "Cocky Cockney cheeky chappy", he appeals to instinct and emotion rather than reasoned argument. He's good at portraying himself as the voice of the ordinary man in the street, as if everybody really shares his "common sense" view. Almost like the tabloids personified.
The trouble with these populist figures is that they don't always seem very genuine. It looks a bit of an act. Not sure what their true motives really are.
You say he's the best politician that we have in this country. Are you sure you could see this man as Prime Minister? Once he's cut us off from Europe, then what will his policies be?
I do, though, agree with you about the "spineless creature" reference. The man seems unable to control his back-benchers, and appears to have poor negotiation skills at international summits.
I don't see "patriotism" as meaning we should be belligerently antagonising our neighbours, isolating our country, and invoking talk of "Dunkirk spirit", etc. This isn't wartime, and the time when "Britain stood alone" in 1940/41 was hardly a golden age that we would wish to see again.
I feel Britain's international image is being damaged by this nationalistic, isolationist talk. I don't want to see a European superstate, and I don't believe it will ever happen. But I fervently believe the best way to deal with economic, political, and environmental issues in the modern world is through international co-operation, and finding common ground on which to agree with your neighbours and allies, rather than focussing on differences. If 26 countries believed they are better off working together, whilst Britain, uniquely, preferred to cut itself off from them and go its own way, then I fail to see anything at all positive in that.

And so we see the greatest failing of the First-Past-The-Post system: given the choice, the people would rather vote for a set of values they actually like as opposed to the lesser of two evils. Alternative vote solves this problem, but unfortunately it didn't get up.

In this blog, our Bagehot columnist surveys the politics of Britain, British life and Britain's place in the world. The column and blog are named after Walter Bagehot, an English journalist who was the editor of The Economist from 1861 to 1877. The blog is currently on hiatus after a change of Bagehot columnist.